[ad_1]

Former President Trump met on Friday in Mar-a-Lago with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Why it matters: It is the first time Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has met Netanyahu since a rift formed between them after the U.S. presidential elections in 2020.

• The meeting is a clear signal the former president is ready to turn the page in his relationship with Netanyahu ahead of the presidential election.

Flashback: The last time Netanyahu met Trump was at the White House in September 2020 at the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords brokered by Trump.

• In an interview with Axios in April 2021, Trump said he was disappointed in Netanyahu, accused him of disloyalty, complained that the prime minister congratulated President Biden on his victory in the 2020 elections and said: “F**k him.”

But on Friday, Trump claimed at the beginning of the meeting that he never had a bad relationship with Netanyahu. “We have always had good relations,” he said.

• Trump attacked Vice President Kamala Harris and said her remarks on Thursday about the the war in Gaza were “disrespectful” towards Israel.
• Harris’ on-camera statement after meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday upset the prime minister and Israeli officials told reporters he is concerned it will harm the negotiations over a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

The latest: Netanyahu said at the top of the meeting with Trump that he is dispatching a team to Rome at the beginning of the week.

• “I hope we are going to have a deal. Time will tell. We are certainly eager to have one and we are working one it. There has been some movement because of our military pressure. I hope there will be sufficient movement to complete a deal,” Netanyahu said.
• Trump said that the situation with the hostages is very tough and stressed they have to be returned immediately.

Behind the scenes: In recent weeks, Netanyahu has been working behind the scenes to restore relations with Trump and arrange a meeting with him during his visit to the U.S. this week.

• A senior Israeli official said Netanyahu spoke with Trump on the phone on July 4 and congratulated him on the occasion of the U.S. Independence Day.
• The Israeli official noted that Prime Minister Netanyahu believes he has a good relationship with Trump.

Driving the news: Netanyahu arrived in Mar-a-Lago with his wife Sara and the former president greeted them at the front door of his mansion and the three posed for a photo together.

• “This is the best dinner I’ve ever had,” Trump told Sara Netanyahu, referring to a meeting with the two at the Prime Minister’s residence in May 2017 during his visit to Israel.

The big picture: On Thursday morning, Trump told Fox News that Israel needs to end the war in Gaza as soon as possible and bring back the hostages.

• On Tuesday, several hours after he announced he was going to meet with Netanyahu, Trump published a letter he recently received from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and pledged to work for peace in the Middle East.
• Abbas’ letter suggests the Palestinian president also wants to start a new chapter with the Republican presidential nominee following their fallout after Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. embassy to the city in December 2017.

[ad_2]

Source link